Life

Q&A: Pro Liz Blatchford Closes Out Stellar Career

This past October, Blatchford finished 12th in her final bid at the IRONMAN World Championship.

The newly retired pro talks about going out on top, and what the next phase of her life will look like.

by Megan Evoe

Very few professional triathletes have found as much success in racing at all distances as Australia's Liz Blatchford. In a career that has spanned more than two decades, Blatchford has recorded multiple World Cup, IRONMAN 70.3, and IRONMAN wins, and podium finishes at the IRONMAN World Championship. While still very much at the top of her game, the mother and wife has decided to turn her focus to her other joys in life. We caught up with Blatchford, who can now be found surfing, doing yoga, and enjoying quality family time, about her final IRONMAN win in 2018 and racing for the last time in Kailua-Kona.

Megan Evoe: When did you start to feel that retirement was on the horizon?

Liz Blatchford: When I became pregnant with Mahli, I considered retiring but a few months after she was born I began to feel the passion to train and race again. I set no expectations for coming back until about five months postpartum, at which point I had decided to give at least another year a crack. Over the following months, life threw considerable challenges my way, some that were expected and come with having a new baby, but still hard nonetheless. Some obstacles really challenged me, mainly the sacral stress fracture diagnosed in February. When I was going through that injury, in quite a bit of pain and struggling to do simple things like pick up Mahli, I decided that this would definitely be my final year of racing.

ME: How did you first get into triathlon, and when did you decide to pursue a professional career?

LB: I competed in my first tri at age 14, coming from a surf life-saving and athletics background. Triathlon soon took over as my number one sport and I raced my first pro race at age 21. When I was at my university in my late teens, all I wanted to do was train and race. I knew I had to give it a crack.

ME: After a successful ITU career, what made you want to race long course triathlon?

LB: To be honest, it was probably my ITU failings that brought me to long course. In 2012, when I missed selection for the London Olympics, I decided to try some IRONMAN 70.3s. My husband, Glen, was always a helpful mentor, and he suggested I try my first IRONMAN which I did in June of 2013.

ME: How did having Mahli change your racing and training?

LB: Training became more about efficiency and less about volume, simply due to less available time. I added a lot of trainer rides while she napped, especially in the first eight months. Recovery was never what it used to be, and time reflecting on training or planning was almost non-existent. I would often get out the door and begin a ride or run and be making up the session during my warm-up. It wasn’t a very professional tactic, but my priority was always Mahli, and I looked at training as though every session completed was a bonus no matter how it went.

Racing was also affected by becoming Mahli’s mum. I set the goal of getting to Kona about five months after Mahli was born, knowing it would be a lofty task. Within six weeks, I had sustained the sacral stress fracture, making things considerably harder again. When I finally got back to racing, it was all about gathering those Kona points. When I was in a race, having Mahli really helped me mentally. I could suffer more, not because I’d been through childbirth, but because I wanted every one of the minutes I had spent away from Mahli to count as best it could.

ME: What were your expectations when you came back to racing after becoming a mom?

LB: I had absolutely zero expectations, having no idea how my body would respond, what sort of baby Mahli would be, and how I would handle it all. In some ways, my body pleasantly surprised me, finding speed and strength much sooner than I expected. In other ways it failed me, with the injury that seemed to come out of nowhere when I felt I’d been very careful.

ME: What was it like to make the decision to retire?

LB: It was mostly an easy decision. I look at it like I had a bonus year post-Mahli. My body was almost making the decision for me. I tore my calf again two weeks after Kona, and I honestly nearly laughed. It made me grateful to know my body managed to get me through three IRONMAN races this year, two wins, and a 12th place finish in Kona, but I am absolutely done now!

ME: What was it like heading into Kona knowing it was your last IRONMAN World Championship race?

LB: It was fantastic! I embraced all my “lasts” plus threw in a few epic rides, knowing I’d probably never be fit enough to do it again! I savored my last few weeks of hard training in Boulder as well as my final hard week in Kona. I lined up in Kona proud to have made it there and exhilarated to be racing in what I feel was the best ever women’s Kona field, but I was also ready to retire and move on. The race itself didn’t go so great for me, but it was probably the perfect retirement race, not woeful, but not good enough to make me reconsider. The finish line was another teary affair, knowing I’d dedicated much of the past six years to that very race and 18 years to professional triathlon. You can imagine there was some serious emotions going on!

ME: What is one of your favorite IRONMAN racing experiences?

LB: IRONMAN Mont Tremblant this past year was extremely special. It’s still fresh in my mind, so it’s an easy one to recall. I really felt like I’d had the most horrendous prep for this race, some gastrointestinal issues that had made me feel completely flat, plus a calf tear nine weeks out that kept me from running for six weeks. With only a few decent runs under my belt, the longest being 18K, I was truly concerned about my ability to even complete the marathon. I knew it was race or bust for me. I’d made the decision to retire at the end of the year but hadn’t announced it publicly. I still needed a handful of points to qualify for Kona, and I really wanted to make it there to finish my career in a race that meant a lot to me. At the halfway point on the marathon, I was in third place, but something in me clicked and I decided to go all in for the win. This was one of those moments where I used Mahli as motivation and, I figured I would probably never be racing to win a big IRONMAN again. My body remembered the years of training and years of inconsistency, and I managed to run myself to my final IRONMAN win. Mahli and Glen were at the finish, and I was a crying, happy, incredibly sore mess!

ME: What are the best lessons you have learned from your career as a professional triathlete?

LB: If you put your mind to something, almost nothing is out of reach. This is from my own experience, but also from observing other pros. Also, I learned to enjoy the journey, and this past year really reinforced that for me. We take so much for granted in our lives and sweat the small stuff, but I think happiness can often be a choice. If something makes you unhappy, change it.

ME: What does the next chapter of your life hold as you begin your retirement?

LB: The next chapter is taking form. I will help Glen with his photography/videography business, take on a few more athletes to coach, and enjoy being a mum. I’m excited for more time with Glen and Mahli, more surfing and more cooking.